By Anxhela Ferra
193, 196, 200; how many states are in the world? Well, some countries and organizations claim different answers. But there is one guy who believes the theory that there are 236 countries in the world and he has visited all of them. Well, until now there is nothing too special about that. But unlike anyone else, he has done it at the age of 30. But what is more surprising is that he has done it while maintaining a full-time job as a dentist. He grew up in a small town in America, but as he always wanted to try different things; he decided to live in Singapore and work there for nearly four years.
Dustin Pfundheller is the youngest man to have visited the world. Unlike any other person who has embarked on such an adventure, he decided to do it for an incredible reason. And that was because his girlfriend left him. And in this sad situation, he didn’t go to ‘crazy’ parties, nor did he get more upset.
But he decided to explore the world and to prove it that it is not as the society recognizes it. It all began as a personal adventure, but it turned out to be a mission to break stereotypes. Through videos available on his Facebook “Dustin Pfundheller”, as well as in the YouTube channel “The Other Side of the Truth”.
He is very different from other travelers or tourists. He has never preferred sponsors for his travels and much less to visit only tourist spots. He has done everything to get to know the locals, those residents who are the true face of a country. And not what the media often chooses to publish. He has even done this in some of the strangest ways. One of them was using Tinder to get to meet people, but not for romantic purposes, but because he found this to be the most efficient way.
This adventure for the young man wasn’t always very pleasant. On the contrary, he had lived some bad days; he even ended up in prison.
In an interview for Tirana Today, Pfundheller shares all his experiences around the world. It is a different interview, where you can know more about this talented man. But also get inspired and try to see the world outside the box. Because now is time.
Tirana Today- Let’s start our interview with Albania, what is the thing that you liked and what you didn’t like?
Pfundheller- One of the best parts of Albania is that it is not as famous as many other tourist destinations, which I feel makes it super special. I made so many friends in Albania! I also enjoyed the price – things were very affordable in Albania. People were so friendly and kind. What I didn’t like? Nothing I can think of.
Tirana Today- Where did you go?
Pfundheller- I rented a car and drove all over Albania but spent most of my time in Tirana and Berat. It was so beautiful driving through the rolling hills. I remember having to stop my car several times for sheepherders.
Tirana Today- What surprised you the most?
Pfundheller- I had no idea bout Albania’s communist past. I heard from local Albanian friends about how they had no bananas or jeans. They needed a permit for TV and all the shoes and clothes were the same. I went to the museum and even learned more about how neighbors spied on each other. It was really shocking.
I was also surprised by how George Bush was so popular in Albania. I was told the seat he sat in – no one else is allowed to use.
Tirana Today- You are the youngest to visit all countries while maintaining a full-time job. How did you manage the time?
Pfundheller- I was a little crazy. I would work 12 hours payday, 14 days a week and then take 14 days off. I did this for 6 years. I would always take overnight flights to maximize my time& often when I was traveling get like 4-5 hours of sleep a night.
Tirana Today- Also, the youngest to have visited all countries paying for their travel by themselves. Why never accepted sponsors?
Pfundheller- When I was traveling, I didn’t want to be famous. I thought that if people knew who I was (locals, media, and government) they would treat me different. I wanted to see the truth – so I wanted to be nobody. Go under the radar.
As I saw the world for what it really was – I kept discovering things were different than what I and the rest of society had thought. I decided to eventually make my video on Facebook and YouTube called “The Other Side of the Truth” to show the truth and break stereotypes of the world.
Tirana Today- The most “silly” thing you have done that you never thought you would do?
Pfundheller- I visited Israel with a passport with a bunch of Arabic stamps. Unfortunately, doing that is pretty stupid. But on the other hand, it shouldn’t be.
A lot of the other silly things are what anyone else might do. In Vietnam, I tried to drive my scooter through a poodle, but it turned out to be huge and I crashed (I could have just gone around).
Tirana Today- You were also arrested, what happened and how was that experience?
Pfundheller- I was questioned by the police several times in different countries. All tourists stay in nice hotels and never meet locals so police are confused when they see me with locals – especially in places like Africa. In Burundi, Africa, police thought the only reason I was in a local poor black African home was we were doing something wrong and so they arrested me and put me in jail.
The jail was pretty rough. Five people were staying in a jail cell. No bed, just a wet floor. No pillows. A bucket was used to go to the bathroom. At first, I was afraid of the other African men in the same jail cell as me. I was wrong because they turned out to be really nice and friendly to me. I showed and documented the experience on my video Burundi.
Tirana Today- What was your first goal?
Pfundheller- I was pretty different than most travelers. I never counted countries & never planned to visit every country. I just loved going and exploring and getting to experience things that no one else did. I often went to the remote and least visited places Crimea, Western Sahara, Kashmir
I never planned to travel the world. When I first started traveling I had a girlfriend and I thought I would only be doing this for 6 months. She broke up with me and I didn’t know what else to do (I was pretty sad). I loved traveling so I decided to just keep traveling.
Tirana Today- Has it changed over time?
Pfundheller- When I first traveled, I was like all other tourists – going to the beach, taking pictures of famous sites, and spending time with other tourists. As I interacted with locals, I found learning about their lives and culture was so much interesting and rewarding than seeing another church, beach, or museum. So my new goal became to make a friend in every country.
Tirana Today- You refuse to be a tourist and wanted to be like locals. What do the tourists do wrong when traveling?
Pfundheller- A lot of tourists do postcarding. (It is a term I invented). That is where you go to a site that you would normally see on a postcard and just take a picture in front of it. Tourists if they go somewhere like Africa – hire a guide and never interact with locals.
The problem is these tourists don’t step in the shoes of the locals. They don’t learn what life is actually like for the locals. It can be frustrating because they keep seeing the world completely wrong.
I remember always feeling so sorry for Africa until I went on a date with an African in Senegal – her life was amazing. She had a nice place, owned her own business, and had tons of friends that all had a bunch of energy– I realized her life was awesome and better than most of my friends back in the USA.
As I continued traveling around Africa, I kept making more local friends and seeing similar lives. I went to Syria during the crisis and found out what I saw in the news was completely wrong and that all my Syrian friends were super happy and loving life. Even in North Korea – I saw many happy people and enjoying life – something I discovered when I made local friends there.
On the other hand, I visited the suicide forest in Japan and Suicide Bridge in South Korea where so many people committed suicide hence their name. It showed me we judge people and countries wrong. Society says that if a country has fancy buildings (like Japan), it is successful regardless if the citizens hate their life and are depression.
Tirana Today- Which is the country that inspired you most?
Pfundheller- All of Africa and the Middle East.
Tirana Today- And the country gave you a bad taste?
Pfundheller- Ethiopia, and Nigeria. In Nigeria – nobody trusts anyone. Everyone is trying to scam everyone else. Before you meet someone in person you need to video chat to verify they are who they say they are. Women just expect men to buy them things.
In Ethiopia there was a ton of racism – my hotel room was broken into even though there were two black Americans there and their room was never broken into. The police got bribes from the thief so they were unwilling to help. Ethiopians would pretend to be my friends and then the next day asks me so many times for money. I was walking with an Ethiopian lady – just a friend and she was called a “slut” by other locals since she was friends with a white man.
Tirana Today- Sometimes you provoke with your videos, by showing different backgrounds, political views. You challenge people to look outside the box, even when it is about sensitive topics. What is the difference you want to make?
Pfundheller- I feel we get so brainwashed. All I’m trying to show is another side of the story. Even if people don’t agree with me – I think it’s important to see both perspectives. I’m trying to show people the actual reality and truth versus what they have been programmed to think their entire life. It’s really hard. Even if I have facts, even I have proof – people want to believe what they have always known and not the truth.
I’m trying really hard to break those stereotypes on my Facebook/IG page – “Dustin Pfundheller” & YouTube channel “Other Side of the Truth”
Tirana Today- What does the world need?
Pfundheller- We need to stop judging others – especially other cultures without getting to know them. We can all understand this when we watch videos like Avatar – but then in real life, we act the opposite.
We also need to be more rational and realistic. We judge countries because they might require women to wear head coverings or block certain websites. But at the end of the day – who is getting hurt by that. What is most important – a head covering or a city where people are being murdered every day. What is more important blocking a website or preventing poor people or women from ever begin successfully?
Tirana Today- How did you meet locals?
Pfundheller- I wanted to meet locals but at the beginning, the locals I met weren’t the “typical” locals of the country. They were also travelers, well educated, and often had studied abroad. I wanted to interrogate within the culture.
The turning point was when I was going to visit Ireland. I messaged over 50 people on couchsurfing.com and contacted several more on Facebook but no one wanted to meet me. Most of the people I contacted were male and they just wanted to meet female travelers. I got upset & figured – if you can’t beat them – join them. I decided to download Tinder, put my best travel picture, and paid $5 per month to change my location to anywhere in the world. I changed my location to Iceland and went to bed, I woke up and had 30 messages and two ladies offered to pick me up from the airport.
I learned that Tinder was a great way to meet locals. I met locals that had never left their country, never met a foreigner before – they would introduce me to their friends, parties, families, and jobs. I was able to see the world in a way no one ever has. / TIRANA TODAY
Ekskluzive/ E braktisi e dashura, dentisti vendos të udhëtojë botën
